I’m a late in life lentil lover. It wasn’t until I discovered lentil daal that I started to build meals around the fantastically cheap and gloriously versatile lentil and now I love them just as much in summer salads as lentil stews, though this recipe definitely falls into the winter warming category.

I’ve been trying to lose a few pounds recently – the long commute to and from work means I don’t have as much time for exercise and I’ve been starting to feel less than trim. So, when I was challenged to conjur up a meal suitable for this chicken recipes inspiration page, I knew I wanted to head down the low-fat and filling route. I took more than a little inspiration from one of my favourite fail-safes for the Good Food website here and created a daal-esque one pot with plenty of flavour and some subtle spice.

Method

Brown the chicken drumsticks/thighs in a flame proof casserole dish (I used my iron faux le creuset beauty) using a little fry light spray and set aside. Fry the spices and seeds in the chicken juices and add the onions and garlic. Add the carrot and sweet potato, cook for 5-10 minutes then add the lentils, the browned chicken and cover with stock. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and cover. I simmered for approximately 30 minutes, adding stock as and when required, before adding the green pepper and tinned tomatoes and finished with coriander. The chicken should be tender and falling off the bone. I served with a nice thick spoonful of fat-free fromage frais and a little fresh coriander on top and it tasted even better the next day and the day after!